Are there any game systems whose shtick is that the PCs have dragon companions?

Question

I'm aware of the ECL rules for younger dragons in D&D 3.5. I'd like to move away from that system with this, if possible (it is retained as last resort though). Not that it's incompatible here, mind you. More of a hope to broaden my experience.

I want to run a PbP or PbEM with some friends who have a passive interest in RPGs but an active interest in dragons. While most of them are new players, I'm an old DM who is accustomed to teaching newbies much of the time. As such, a complicated rules set isn't a disqualifier.

EDIT: I'm searching for a system where players have dragon companions, such as the Weyrs of Pern series or the movie How to Train Your Dragon.

@Jadasc good call; didn't find that one. Editing to highlight the 'with' portion of my question, not addressed by that one. — LitheOhm, Jul 18 '13 at 04:27
@MrJinPengyou preferably no, but it was brought up in chat, too. Think it's a good candidate for this? Please post, if so. — LitheOhm, Jul 18 '13 at 16:17
As this is a [tag:system-recommendation] question, please adhere to both the [FAQ] and the rules for subjective questions as outlined in Good Subjective, Bad Subjective and on our Meta. In particular, all responses should be based on actual experience and contain references and examples whenever possible. — mxyzplk, Jul 18 '13 at 17:36
Shadowrun usually has rules for drakes in the Runner's Companion (depending on edition), and they're basically small dragons. Using real dragons as PC's was included for 4th Edition as an April Fool's joke (the rules are more ridiculous than well thought-out). Of course, the downside of this is that dragons in Shadowrun usually look at humans as falling somewhere between snacks and tools. — Kyle Willey, Jul 19 '13 at 00:31
Not sure about rules themselves, but have you looked into the Dragonlance setting? — PixelArtDragon, Jul 20 '13 at 03:42

Discord · Answer 1 · 2013-07-18T14:31:36.307

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AD&D 2nd Edition had the Council of Wyrms campaign setting. It included rules for playing dragons, half-dragons and servants/retainers of dragons. The materials in the boxed set address more of a master/servitor relationship, but that could be easily adapted to a companion/friend type of relationship instead.

edited Jul 18 '13 at 14:31

answered Jul 18 '13 at 04:01

Discord

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My impression was that it wasn't popular simply because it was so far out to left field in "what do we do?" (It apparently had balance issues too, but few people I knew cared about balance in AD&D.) I played in a brief Council of Wyrms campaign and it was a blast. – SevenSidedDie Jul 18 '13 at 05:06
@SevenSidedDie I read all the materials in the boxed set, but didn't actually have a chance to play it. – Discord Jul 18 '13 at 14:32
Council of Wyrms is about playing the dragons more than anything else. – aramis Jul 18 '13 at 21:23
@aramis It is, but it could be adapted for the questioner's needs. – Discord Jul 20 '13 at 02:47

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 19 '13 at 12:41

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This is probably not what you're looking for, but since you didn't specify a genre, in Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, the character of Shadowcat has Lockheed the Dragon manifesting as a secondary Power Set. It's a more or less generic method in MHR for including a sidekick/secondary support character tied to and controlled by a PC. MHR doesn't use a lot of detailed "in-game" mechanics so, if you're looking for a system where you can stat up how many pounds per square inch a dragon must exert to tear through your armor, this probably isn't for you. However, if your folks are looking to do this because "Dragons are Awesome!", then it might be worth a look.

answered Jul 19 '13 at 12:41

Zimul8r

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Can this decently support multiple people playing that character simultaneously (so that everyone gets a dragon, not just one person)? – doppelgreener Jul 19 '13 at 13:24
Absolutely. It manifests as a collection of additional powers on each character's sheet, so it's tailorable for each character's specific dragon. – Zimul8r Jul 19 '13 at 15:57
One problem: MHR is out of print and no longer sold even in PDF. It is quite capable, tho'. (MWP terminated the license early.) – aramis Jul 21 '13 at 01:40
Yes, but you can still buy copies of the basic game in hardcopy from Amazon, and from local retailers, as well as the Civil War supplement. And there's a fair amount of fan-made source material floating around, despite the short run, including some fantasy genre hacks. – Zimul8r Jul 22 '13 at 22:59

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 18 '13 at 21:22

While not intrinsically for Dragons, Hero System allows sidekicks as part of character building; animal sidekicks/allies are specifically allowed (at least in HSR4 and 5).

For emulating Pern or How to Train Your Dragon, Hero System would allow the GM to build the standard dragon types, and assign them point costs on a fair basis.

GURPS could do the same, again using the same methodology.

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 18 '13 at 04:25

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Immediately the first RPG I think of is Fireborn. The system is fairly simple, and each of the players is quite literally a dragon. The setting takes place in modern day London and in the ancient past where the characters were actually in dragon form.

answered Jul 18 '13 at 04:25

CatLord

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I've edited the question to address the other side of my question instead (@Jadasc found it to be a duplicate, that part) – LitheOhm Jul 18 '13 at 04:35
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I'll do a little digging and see what comes up first. – CatLord Jul 19 '13 at 02:25

Are there any game systems whose shtick is that the PCs have dragon companions?

4 Answers4